First Listen: New Releases for 18 September

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Artist: Tyler Childers
Album: Long Violent History
Quick Description: Great raw rootsy folk music.
Why You Should Listen: This feels really pure and authentic.
Overall Thoughts: I think what impresses me the most with this is that it sounds kind of dirty and dusty? It's kind of what I expect from roots music at its core, and this is just an expert effort. Mostly instrumental, but all great.
Recommendation: A solid listen.


Artist: Little Hag
Album: Whatever Happened to Avery Jane
Quick Description: First album under this name from Avery Mandeville.
Why You Should Listen: Think Sarah Shook if she grew up on Tumblr.
Overall Thoughts: I love love love love love this album. Little Hag is a really fun listen with some irreverent moments, some crazy great musicianship, and songs that make you smile just as much as they keep you bopping your head. This was a true surprise for me this week, and it's one that I'm sure has some real longevity. A really solid indie rock effort - if you can't get into "Tetris" or "Facebook," what's the point?
Recommendation: One of the best of the year.


Artist: Anjimile
Album: Giver Taker
Quick Description: Debut album from a Boston-based artist.
Why You Should Listen: This has a lot of buzz around it, all warranted.
Overall Thoughts: Anjimile is doing something special with their singer-songwriter/folkish effort here. When I heard some of the lead singles, I wasn't 100% on board, but somehow the cohesive unit of this album turns it into something much more impressive. There's a mood and clarity here that's lacking in a lot of music that comes out on a regular basis, and the raw feeling behind it all makes this something truly special.
Recommendation: A mandatory listen.


Artist: Emma Kupa
Album: It Will Come Easier
Quick Description: New solo album from the British singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: Emma Kupa's involvement in something almost always makes it great.
Overall Thoughts: Emma Kupa has been in a host of indie bands over the years, and this solo effort is just great. So many catchy songs like "Nawlins" and "Nothing at All" really bring around what's special about this. A pleasant, poppy listen from a skilled songwriter.
Recommendation: Worth the time this week.


Artist: Native Harrow
Album: Closeness
Quick Description: New album by a favorite here.
Why You Should Listen: Native Harrow has a sound that forces you to pay attention.
Overall Thoughts: We've covered Native Harrow a few times here, and her debut really got me last year. Again, your expectations are something different going in, but the results of this one are an album that grabs you and doesn't let go. The duo are skilled songwriters with a sound that toes the lines between folk and rock genres. I really liked this album, and you will too.
Recommendation: Put it in your rotation.


Artist: Cults
Album: Host
Quick Description: "Go Outside" act with another stellar release.
Why You Should Listen: Cults has been a very consistent act.
Overall Thoughts: In my brain, Cults had one big hit and I always forget they're around until they put a new album out and then I say "wait, I really like this band." I liked their last album enough, but I thought it was a poppier affair than their reputation allowed. This definitely continues in that vein, but in a different way - it might be my favorite effort of theirs yet. It feels more confident, fairly accessible, and pretty great on a whole. I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to this one.
Recommendation: Don't sleep on this.


Artist: Fenne Lily
Album: BREACH
Quick Description: A second album that doesn't hit the sophomore slump.
Why You Should Listen: It's less folk and more exploratory.
Overall Thoughts: Fenne Lily still isn't for everyone, but I feel as if her second album is for more people than her first was. Still super confessional and introspective, this is music for people who care about the stories and mood behind their songs, and that's what sets Fenne Lily apart. If you're up for a singer-songwriter challenge, don't miss this one.
Recommendation: Worth the time.

Of note:

* Handsome Ghost - Some Still Morning (A really solid, gorgeous record.)
* Body Double - Milk Fed (Don't sleep on this one.)
* Rudy De Anda - Tender Epoch (Don't let the occasional language barrier get in the way.)
* Lily / Lucy - Laugh Now Cry L8r (Interesting odd pop effort featuring Lucy Konigsburg.)
* Eivor - Segl
* Boyfriend Machine - The Steady March to Death
* A. G. Cook - Apple
* otta - Songbook
* Ian Wayne - Risking Illness
* Sarah Davachi - Cantus, Descent
* Butcher Brown - #KingButch
* Jealous of the Birds - Peninsula
* Namir Blade - Aphelion's Traveling Circus
* Gillian Welch - Boots No. 2, The Lost Songs, Vol. 2

EPs:

* Semisonic - You're Not Alone (They haven't missed a step.)
* Elysian - Water EP
* ONBC - Forty Thousand Tears
* American Authors - Counting Down
* Sinead O'Brien - Drowning in Blessings
* Luke Howard and Tilman Robinson - Dark Angels
* The Queers and the Two Tens - Cha Cha Cha
* GA-20 - Live Vol. 1
* The Persian Leaps - Smiling Lessons
* Galya Bisengalieva - Aralkum

Also out:

* Ava Max - Heaven & Hell
* Osees - Protean Threat

On Repeat...

The New Limits - "Normal Day"

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Photo via Facebook According to their Bandcamp profile, The New Limits are a "Boston ska band with a taste for rocksteady, reggae, soul, and rock n roll." They just released a single that shows off their sound perfectly. "Normal Day" is a laid back ska song dripping with soul. You know that joke that goes around every few months saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick? The New Limits are the grown up version of that sound. This is ska/rocksteady for adults. It's ultra chilled out music with some of the best horns in the city. Even if you haven't listened to ska since your youth, you need to check out "Normal Day." This might help re-open the entire genre to you. The New Limits say of their latest single: " What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. 'Normal Day' has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuri...
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
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Brennen Leigh - "Dumpster Diving"

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Photo by Lyza Renee Brennen Leigh has quickly become a favorite of ours, with her take on a classic country sound with a slight sense of humor. Her latest single, "Dumpster Diving," which she describes as a "trashy little tune," is everything we love about the musician. It's a vintage style country song that comes in at a punk like one minute, forty-eight seconds. With a chorus of "Dumpster diving, this ain't gonna last / Dumpster diving, 'cause baby you like trash..." how can you possibly resist. Leigh's latest gives us a decades old sound with modern sensibilities and her fantastic voice that's tailor made for this genre of music. It's almost like a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein, and who doesn't want to hear that? You can hear "Dumpster Diving" below. Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  is due out October 3 on Signature Sounds, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Brennen Leigh,...
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